Removable adhesive unit



-May 18, 1937. A. B. MULL 2,

REMOVABLE ADHESIVE UNIT Filed Sept 1, 1936 CZWA Patented May 18, 1937 PATENT, OFFICE REMOVABLE ADHESIVE UNIT Arthur B. Mull, Appleton, Wis., assignor to Marathon Paper Mills Company, a corporation of Wisconsin Rothschild, Wis,

Application September 1, 1936, Serial No. 98,983

3 Claims.

This invention relates to removable adhesive units and more particularly to tabs coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive. v

One of the objects of this invention is to provide removable adhesive units suitable for mounting printed signs, streamers, pictures and display sheets of all kinds, on supporting surfaces such as walls, posts, windows, doors, show cases, bulletin boards and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide adhesive units or tabs with pressure sensitive adhesive suitable for attaching to any desired supporting surface such as glass, wood, metal, paper, cloth and the like, from which tabs can be removed without fouling or marring the surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a removable adhesive unit structure suitable for firmly suspending signs, and printed posters on glass windows, doors, walls or any other surface Where advertising matter is desired to be displayed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tab structure which can be used as a hinge for removably attaching sheets to any desired surface.

Still a further object is to provide a removable tab suitable for use in sealing packages or as a general utility seal for holding two or more separate parts together.

Other and further objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the following de scription of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Y Figure 1 is a view of .the front face'of the tab in a preferred form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view of the back of the tab showing the cover strip partially removed.

Figure 3 is a view showing a sign attached to a supporting surface by means of two tabs.

Figure 4 is the back of another sign having attached thereto two tabs. I

Figure 5 illustrates the first step of attaching the sign shown in Figure 4 to a supporting surface.

Figure 6 illustrates the second step in suspending the sign shown in Figure 4 by folding same over on the attached tabs in proper position for display.

Figure '7 is a view illustrating the use of my tab 50 in linking two signs together and mounting them on any desired supporting surface.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a package sealed with my tab.

Figure 9 is a view illustrating the use of my 55 tabs for hingingpaper sheets together.

Figure 10 illustrates another method of hinging sheets together by means of the tabs.

Heretofore it has been the common practice to attach advertising signs and posters to windows, 60 walls, or other surface by means of water soluof any suitable weight.

. ficult to remove them from the attached surface without fouling the surface and leaving behind particles of glue and adhered paper. When such glued tabs are attached to glass surfaces it is often necessary to scrape the tabs off with a knife or to wash them oil with water. a great inconvenience particularly when signs have to be changed often or when they have to be attached to surfaces which must not be marred by scratching of a knife or washing with water.

In order to overcome these objections the present invention provides a very effective, simple and convenient means for attaching signs, posters and the like which can be applied to any de sired supporting surface by simply pressing firmly the adhesive units into place by pressure of the fingers or the thumb without using any moisture or other solvent means for attaching the tab. My tab will remain firmly in place, but it can be readily removed by simply peeling off the at tached surface leaving such surface perfectly clean and unfouled.

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of my tab, wherein l0 represents a cutout tab of paper stock The tab is provided with score lines II and I2 positioned slightly below its horizontal medial axis which extend inwardly and are joined by a curved outline l4 forming an integral tongue portion 8. The body of the tab lo thus consists of an upper body portion I, a lower body portion 2, and a tongue portion 8.

The back of the tab as shown in Figure 2 is coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive composition. I prefer not to coat the entire area of the back, but to leave uncoated margins I 6 and I! as shown in Figure 2, the adhesive being indicated by numeral i5. In order to protect the adhesive coating a removable liner 1, of the same area and contour as tab I0, is attached to the back which can be stripped oil just before the tab is used. The liner serves to protect the adhesive coating and facilitates packaging of a plurality of tabs without sticking to each other. The cover strip may be made of any suitable material s'uch as glassine, holland cloth, and the like, Asshown in Figure 2 the liner is scored and perforated along the same lines corresponding to those of the tab H) but it is not essentialto have any scoring on the liner. The uncoated margins l6 and I! facilitate removal of the cover strip. By slightly bending back the uncoated margins it is possible to grasp the margin of the cover strip and to peel'it from the'tab as shown in Figure 2.

This is often Any suitable pressure sensitive adhesive composition may be used for coating the tabs. I prefer to use a hot melt composition such as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 98,978. Such composition is thermoplastic and consists essentially of an adhesive agent, a cohesive agent and a common thermoplastic nonvolatile solvent for these agents.

The following composition for example is suitable for coating paper tabs:

Per cent by weight Rubber 15 Vispronal 15 Amorphous paraffin wax (M. P. 155 F.) 19 Methyl abietate 25 Ester gum 25 Glycerine 0.5 Hydroquinone 0.5

The composition is heated to about 180-200 F.

and is spread by any suitable means on the back of the paper used for the tab.

For quantity production it has been found most practicable to coat continuously a web of the paper stock by spreading the composition with a doctor roll heated to about 180-200 F. while supporting the web on a rotating hot roll spaced away suifieiently to produce the desired thickness of adhesive coating. After leaving the coating roll the coated web is passed over a chilled roll to congeal the coating and the liner is applied lightly to the coating. The tabs are then died out from the combined webs. If desired, the paper web may be coated continuously with longitudinally extending stripes of adhesive of the desired width with uncoated stripes therebetween. The web may then be cut along the uncoated stripes to produce coated paper strips having uncoated margins as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 99,648.

Figure 3 illustrates one manner of using the preferred form of the tab for mounting a printed sign 5 by means of two tabs ID. The liner 7 of each of the tabs I is first removed. The uncoated face of each of the tabs 10 is then positioned adjacent a margin of the sign in contact with the back of the sign and the tongue 8 slipped over the upper edge of the sign. Inasmuch as the rear face of the tongue is coated with adhesive it will adhere to the sign with a slight application of pressure of the thumb. The assembly is then pressed by the thumb or fingersto any supporting surface A to which it is desired to attach the sign. Since the back of the tab l0 has a pressure sensitive adhesive coating I it will adhere to the surface owing to the pressure applied thereto. Any number of other tabs may be used similarly to attach the sign or poster to all its margins.

These tabs will retain the sign in place and when it is desired to remove the sign the tabs are simply peeled off the attaching surface without washing, smearing or fouling same.

The provision of score lines II and I2 facilitates the use of the tab as an attaching hinge for any desired sheets, posters and the like. When it isdesired to use the tabs ID as an attaching hinge the liner 1 is first removed therefrom and the tabs positioned as illustrated in Figure 4 with the adhesive coating l5 contacting the printed front face of the sign 5 and the tongue 8 overlapping the edge of same. The assembly illustrated in Figure 4 is then attached to a supporting surface A by pressing the tabs Iii in upside position with the printed face of the sign adjacent the attaching surface A as shown in Figure 5. The sign 5 is then folded over on lines H and I! to assume the position shown in Figure 6.

Portion l of the tab and tongues 8 are thus affixed to the attaching surface and portion 2 of the tab is affixed to the sign 5. When the sign is in position as shown in Figure 6 only the tongues 8 are visible.

The preferred form of my tab is capable of being used in many novel and striking ways. Figure 7 illustrates the use of my tabs for linking two signs 5 and 5' together and aflixing them to any desired surface A by means of four tabs l0.

Obviously many other novel uses may be made of my tab. Figure 8 illustrates a package having a wrapper 20 sealed with a tab 10. Figure 9 illustrates the use of my tabs ID as hinges for paper sheets 2|. Figure 10 illustrates a method of hinging three sheets 22, 23, and 24 by means of a tab 40. Portiofi I of the tab is applied to sheet 22, tongue 8 is applied to sheet 23, and portion 2 of the tab is aflixed to sheet 24. One or more of the tabs ID are employed depending upon the number and size of the sheets to be hinged together.

Many other uses will naturally suggest themselves and it is not my intention to restrict the scope of use of my tab to the examples herein enumerated. The structure of my tab is also not restricted to the particular contour or form illustrated or to any specific materials used therefor, and it is intended to include all changes and modifications within the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adhesive unit comprising a base sheet of suitable contour coated on one face thereof with a pressure sensitive adhesive, the said face of the base sheet being uncoated at a marginal portion thereof, an integral tongue in said base sheet located within the area defined by said pressure sensitive adhesive coating and a peelable cover strip protecting said pressure sensitive adhesive coating and having substantially the same contour and area as said base sheet.

2. An adhesive unit comprising a substantially rectangular base sheet of paper coated on one face thereof with a pressure sensitive adhesive, said base sheet being uncoated at two parallel margins thereof, an integral tongue in said base sheet located within the area defined by said pressure sensitive adhesive coating, and a peelable cover strip protecting said pressure sensitive adhesive coating and having substantially the same contour and area as said base sheet.

3. An adhesive unit comprising a substantially rectangular base sheet of paper coated on one face thereof with a pressure sensitive adhesive, said base being uncoated at least at one margin thereof, an integral tongue in said base sheet located within the area defined by said pressure sensitive adhesive coating, score lines in said base sheet extending from the base of said tongue to the edges of said base sheet to afford a hinge, and a peelable cover strip protecting said pressure sensitive adhesive coating and having substantially the same contour and area as said base sheet.

' ARTHUR B. MULL. 

